Summer 2025 Projects Round-Up
This summer, the Brooklyn Emerging Mural Artists Coalition (BEMAC) continued its mission to cultivate creativity and community through public art.
Beautifying Brower Park: Art in the Pollinator Garden
BEMAC joined forces with the Friends of Brower Park and community gardener, artist, and BEMAC muralist Shelly Fank to bring color and creativity to the park’s pollinator garden. The project centered on beautifying the water collection barrels through a collaborative mural process inspired by community input.
The first phase began with two interactive tabling events at the Brower Park Juneteenth Celebration and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum Story Time. Families, children, and neighbors were invited to respond to the prompt “What do you want to grow?” Using paint markers and large rolls of paper, participants filled the pages with imaginative drawings of plants, animals, and dreams for the future.
Later, these community-created images in addition to original illustrations by local artist and BEMAC muralist Jackson Schad, were cut out, categorized, and wheatpasted onto the garden’s water barrels.
The Pacific Street Mural Walls: “Love and Matter”
The second cycle of the Pacific Street Mural Walls, a collaboration between BEMAC and MetroCraft, brought together nine first time muralists to explore this year’s theme: “Love and Matter.”
In addition to creating their murals, participants took part in two street cleanups, joining local residents to remove litter and beautify the area surrounding the mural walls.
Sharing Our Story: BEMAC Artists in the News
The impact of BEMAC’s work this summer reached beyond the walls and gardens of Brooklyn. Artists from both the 2024 and 2025 mural cycles were recently interviewed by journalist John DeWind of Crown Heights Community News. His thoughtful piece on the Pacific Street Mural Walls and the broader BEMAC mission was featured in the October 2025 issue.
BEMAC thanks everyone who participated, supported, and celebrated with us this summer.
